Chico girl jumps out of vehicle during carjacking

CHICO &GT;&GT; A 9-year-old girl was sitting in a car this morning while her dad quickly ran inside their home, when a man allegedly jumped in and began to drive off.

Instinctively, the young girl jumped out before the man sped away, and her screams alerted her dad and the neighborhood.

Rich Carrillo had packed up his green Honda CR-V with his laptop computer, lunch and his daughter's belongings. It was about 8:45 a.m. and the pair were preparing for the day.

Carrillo started up his car and was about to take his daughter to summer camp, but he ran back inside his home on the 1200 block of Normal Avenue to grab some quarters, he said.

As he headed back to his car, his daughter was coming back to the house screaming.

A man, who police later identified as 19-year-old Nathaniel Henson, had jumped inside his car and was speeding away.

Carrillo chased after the suspect, but he slipped, he said.

"I was so frantic," the father told the Enterprise-Record.

Upon hearing the girl's scream, neighbors came out to help.

Carrillo alerted the Chico Police Department, which he said responded quickly.

Police were able to use Carrillo's cellphone, which was inside the car, to track Henson's movement.

At first it appeared he had dumped the car in an orchard on McIntosh Avenue, but when Carrillo and police noticed the tracker move, officers were sent to the area, Carrillo said.

Police set up a perimeter around the area the suspect was headed toward and about 15 minutes after the incident Henson was located, according to a Chico Police Department press release.

Henson, who was inside the vehicle, was taken into custody without incident by members of the Butte County Sheriff's Office and the Chico Police Department.

The father and daughter were able to positively identify the suspect.

Henson had made it about a mile before being arrested, Carrillo said. A witness reported seeing him drive through an almond orchard.

Carrillo, who has several scrapes on his hands, face and legs, is not letting himself imagine what could have happened had his daughter not jumped out of the back seat of the CR-V, he said. Thankfully she had the "good mind" to get out and she's safe.

Carrillo was able to recover his vehicle — which has scratches all along the sides and hood — as well as his belongings.

Everything was tossed around, but the only thing missing was his daughter's lunch, which the suspect ate, Carrillo said.

He said he's grateful to his neighbors and the Chico Police Department, which responded promptly and was mindful of his daughter's feelings.

Officer Terry Tupper was sensitive to her and made sure she felt safe, he said. He also gave her a stuffed animal.

Carrillo and his daughter moved into their home just three months ago and didn't know the neighbors, but he said he's appreciative that they helped his daughter.

The girl, who spent her afternoon at home with her dad drawing thank you cards for her neighbors, is a bit rattled, but she's doing well, Carrillo said.

Looking back on the incident, Carrillo remembered seeing the man walking about 40 yards away, but he said it never crossed his mind that something like Friday's incident would happen. The "what ifs" are "inconceivable" to the father, but he hopes the experience serves as a reminder to other people.